Chaos (Lanie Bross) - Lanie Bross Page 0,77

to warn Jasmine to stay away from him.

“Your sister’s blood will spill in the Great Gardens.” The gleam was back in Tess’s eyes.

“So that’s the plan?” he asked, shaking with rage. “The Unseen Ones decide that he kills Jasmine and you kill me?”

“No, they want to imprison you,” she said. “I want to kill you.”

“Why?” Blood was pounding in his ears. He eyed the weak soldered metal—so close to snapping. One chance. One chance was all he would get. “Why does it matter so much to you that I die?”

“Because I need you out of the way, and because I know you won’t stop. You’re obsessed with turning back time—for what?”

“For Corinthe,” he said.

“Corinthe,” she scoffed. “Everyone thinks that love solves everything, that love conquers all. What good has it done for you and Corinthe?” Tess almost sounded angry. “Or for Mira and Rhys? Or for your sister? It brings nothing but pain.”

“What are you talking about?” Luc wheezed.

Tess took another step toward him and the walkway shifted. She clutched the knife in her hand even tighter.

“All of you have ended up the same. Even the Figments are gone. They sacrificed themselves to the fire. For what? For love?”

Shock echoed through his muddled head. Luc remembered the pairing, remembered how happy the Figures and Figments had been while dancing together. They were One, and now the Figments were gone?

Rhys had said that they all were lonely, that they sought out their Others, but it was more than that. What they were all looking for was simple. They were looking for love.

Just like he was.

Luc wound his fingers through the grating and kicked at the metal seam that held it in place. His sneakers made contact with the bent steel, and the bridge tore apart with a loud groan.

Tess tried desperately to find a handhold, anything to grab. Her eyes were full of panic. The knife fell from her hand, and she grasped at air as the walkway collapsed from under her. She was sent free-falling into the abyss.

Luc held on to the grate as it swung like a pendulum; then he climbed up to safety.

He continued to hear Tess’s screams echo long after her body had disappeared below.

“Jasmine, wait!”

Ford’s frantic voice thundered in her ears. She ran faster, her feet pounding on the pavement. A morning jogger swerved into her path and Jasmine had to jump off the curb to avoid running into her. Instead of following the sidewalk, she cut across the street and past a dump truck that sat idling near the intersection.

It was Tuesday. That meant that most of the earthquake damage had already been cleared. California was fast like that. But there were still several buildings with boarded-up windows where the glass had shattered. A thin fog hung over everything—maybe she could lose Ford. Jas could taste salt on her lips. She was running up Baker Street, and her heart felt like it would explode.

Just ahead, at the top of the hill, she saw a metro bus pull up to the stop. If she could make it on, Ford wouldn’t be able to catch her.

She needed time. Time to think, to try to figure out what the hell to do now. If she could just talk to Luc, get him to tell her what had happened Friday night and explain who Miranda was, then maybe she’d know who to trust.

The bus doors opened with a whoosh and Jasmine lunged inside, panting. She fumbled for a crumpled dollar bill in her back pocket. As she collapsed into the closest seat, she saw Ford crest the hill and stop. He scanned the road, then spotted the bus, but it was too late. It had started to pull away from the curb. Jas expected Ford to run after them, to make the bus stop, but he just stood there watching.

He looked devastated.

Jasmine tried to reconcile the boy standing there, the one who had kissed her so gently, with this one, the one who had considered taking her back to the Garden.

Would he do that? After everything he had said to her?

Tears burned her eyes. How well did she really know him? Was that the nature of a Radical—to burn bright, at any cost? And why had Ford been imprisoned in the first place?

The questions only confused her more. She wanted to trust him, desperately, but she didn’t know what he’d be willing to trade for his freedom.

The bus swayed along Baker, halting at each stop, and every time, Jasmine